Alexander A. Drabik
|death_date= |placeofburial_label=Place of burial |placeofburial=Resurrection Cemetery, Toledo, Lucas, Ohio |birth_place=near, Holland, Sylvania Township, Lucas County, Ohio |death_place=Columbia, Boone County, Missouri |allegiance=United States |branch= United States Army |serviceyears=1942-1945 |rank= Staff Sergeant |unit= Company A (Able), 27th Armored Infantry Battalion, Combat Command B, 9th Armored Division |commands= |battles=World War II |awards=Distinguished Service Cross }} Sgt. Alexander Albert Drabik (December 28, 1910 - September 28, 1993) was the first American soldier to cross the Rhine River into Germany.Obituary, Alexander Drabik, 82, First G.I. To Cross Remagen Bridge in 1945, New York Times, 1993-10-02.Orientation Branch, Information and Education Services, Headquarters, Theater Services Forces, European Theater, The 9th: The Story of the 9th Armored Division (Stars & Stripes: Paris 1945). Biography Squad leader Drabik, part of Able Company, 27th Armored Infantry Battalion, Combat Command B, 9th Armored Division received orders from Company commander, Lt. Karl H. Timmermann to assault the Ludendorff Bridge near Remagen on March 7, 1945 in an effort to seize and hold it. Under heavy machine-gun fire, Drabik dashed across the bridge while Germans tried desperately to detonate it. Drabik was the first American soldier to reach the east side of the bridge. For his heroism, Drabik was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.Remagen | photography U.S. Representative Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) has repeatedly sponsored legislation to award him the Medal of Honor.Ryan E. Smith, Dash over Rhine bridge sealed the Nazis' defeat, Toledo Blade, 2005-03-06. Drabik later said:Howard Langer, "World War II: An Encyclopedia of Quotations," 206 (1999) ISBN 0-313-30018-6. "We ran down the middle of the bridge, shouting as we went. I didn't stop because I knew that if I kept moving they couldn't hit me. My men were in squad column and not one of them was hit. We took cover in some bomb craters. Then we just sat and waited for others to come. That's the way it was." Drabik was the son of Mr. and Mrs. John D. Drabik, Polish immigrants who raised thirteen children on a farm near Holland and Toledo, Ohio.First GI to Cross Rhine Unterrified By Lorelei Maiden, Stars & Stripes London Edition, 1945-03-12 at 1. Prior to his enlistment, he worked as a butcher in Holland, Ohio.University of Toledo Veterans History Project audio file. Early in his military career, he distinguished himself by rescuing 120 recruits who had become lost on the California desert.Toledo Veterans History Project audio file at 4:20. Drabik was seriously wounded during the Battle of the Bulge.Toledo Veterans History Project audio file at 5:00. On August 18, 1945, Toledo honored him and his commanding officer, Maj. Gen. John W. Leonard, with a parade. Drabik was killed in an auto accident in 1993, en route to a reunion of his unit. , April 1945.]] Decorations In media The following book mentions Drabik: * Drabik is referenced directly or indirectly in the following media and work; *A Hollywood film inspired by a book written about its capture, The Bridge at Remagen, was made in 1969. The actor George Segal played the character Lieutenant Phil Hartman, based on Lt. Timmermann. Ben Gazzara as Sergeant Angelo was based on Sgt. Alexander A. Drabik the first soldier across the bridge. *The Ludendorff Bridge features prominently in the final mission of the game Call of Duty: Finest Hour, in which the player must cross the bridge in order to capture it. See also *Hechler, Ken. The Bridge at Remagen (Updated version by Pictorial Histories Publishing Company, Missoula, Montana, including chapter on the film.) References Category:1910 births Category:1993 deaths Category:United States Army soldiers Category:American people of Polish descent Category:American army personnel of World War II Category:Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States) Category:Road incident deaths in Missouri